Survival
by KooTheDancer
Summary: Scout reflects on her life during WW2 and how strong her big brother Jem was.


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Jem had survived so much in his life. He had struggled through our mothers death, he had lived through school, he had survived when Bob Ewell had attacked us on Halloween when we were young, he had endured life as a football player in his first two years of university and he had even managed to live to tell the tale after the first two years of law at university. He was amazing. So brave, and strong and courageous. So how come he couldn't survive WW2?

When America joined the war at the end of 1941, Jem was 18. He was strong-minded and at home during a holidays in university. I was in the final stages of public education and enjoying my school break with my big brother, who I hadn't seen in a few months while he was at university. Atticus was, as per usual, reading the paper in the living room. Cal was in the kitchen preparing dinner and Jem and I were talking quietly about school life, university life and American football when the phone rang. Cal answered, and Atticus looked up from his paper mildly.

"Yes, I understand Miss Eula May. Thank you for calling us." Cal hung up the phone and walked into the living room. "Miss Eula May said to listen to the radio, Mr Finch."

"Thank you, Cal." Atticus reached over and tuned the radio to the right station and a grainy, crackling voice came to our ears.

"...President Hoover has announced that the U.S.A. will join in the war effort in support of England, France and the Allies to fight Japan after the Hawaii bombings. 'Today I met with the parliamentary leaders to discuss Americas' position in the World War currently being fought, and we agreed to join in support of the Allies.' President Hoover also stated that any men aged 18 and over may enlist in the army. A notice will be in local sheriff stations..." Atticus turned down the volume on the radio and smiled shrewdly.

"I thought that would happen."

I looked over at Jem, trying to discern his opinion, but he seemed oddly normal. For years he had been preaching Hitler's insanity, claiming America should join the war effort and help the Jewish people. Naturally I assumed he would be ecstatic at this proclamation, but he wasn't. He smiled politely at Atticus and me, yawned loudly and stood up. "Excuse me, Atticus, Scout. I'm tired and I should go to bed. Good night."

I looked over at Atticus with absolute terror shining on my face, but he seemed deep in thought.

"Atticus, I-" but he cut me off before I could begin. We heard Jems' bedroom door click shut and as if it was some kind of signal, Atticus flicked his paper back up and resumed his reading. I stood up, said goodnight and left the room, but not before hearing a low mumble of, "I hope he doesn't enlist as well, Scout."

When I woke up the next morning, Jem was gone. I panicked and went to see Atticus, but he just shook his head. "I don't know, honey. I'm sorry." We ate breakfast in near silence.

When Jem came through the front door he was in a tracksuit glistening with sweat. "Jem, where were you?" I asked, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

"Relax, Scout. I went for a run." He scooted past me and into the bathroom, so I left it be.

A week later he quit university. A day after that we got a letter from the Army, requesting Jeremy Atticus Finch to go for military training. I cried into Atticus's shoulder as we waved Jem goodbye at the train station.

Every now and then we got letter from him, of course. My favourite, and perhaps also least favourite, was one we got two weeks after he left us. A picture of Jem and Dill was folded inside the letter and Atticus stared in sorrow as I read out that Jem and Dill were in the same platoon and enjoying the army life as much as it was possible to enjoy. I kept the picture in my room. Atticus told me that when Miss Rachel found out she began sobbing. Dill was only 15, but he had had a growth spurt since we last saw him and now looked to be in his late teens, and if he let his stubble grow he could pass for 20. Dill was my best friend, and Jem was my brother _and_ best friend. I didn't know what to do with them gone.

In 1944 we were winning. The war was slowing down and the Axis powers were losing. Jem was 21 and Dill and I were 18. There was an attack on the Japanese front that both Dill and Jem were involved in. Jem was shot in the thigh and the bullet lodged there. Dill later told us that during a barrage of bullets from the Japanese Dill and Jem got separated from their platoon. They were fighting their way back when two Japanese soldiers attacked them, and Jem pushed Dill behind him and took a bullet that was meant for him. Dill killed one of the soldiers and Jem got the other, even with his leg wounded so badly. They took him to the nursing post and tried to take out the bullet but they couldn't, so they sewed him up and left him to heal. He got an infection. He died with Dill by his side, holding his hand. Dill said they were reminiscing about the summer holidays in Maycomb, about Boo Radley and the games we used to play. They were talking about the Tom Robinson trial and the year Jem got his first girlfriend. Dill said that before Jem passed away he said he had always though Dill and I would end up together, that he loved Dill, Atticus, Aunt Alexandra, Cal and myself more than words could say and that he would miss us. He said he was sorry for causing us heartbreak by enlisting.

Dill said he sobbed as he was shipped home, he sobbed as he caught the train down to Maycomb and he sobbed and he walked up our street. We had already been informed of Jems' death, but Dill made it real, somehow. He made it so much more horrible and so much better at the same time. I think Jem may have written something for Atticus, but I can't be sure. I saw Dill give a letter to Atticus as I cried quietly into my lap, but I didn't press the matter.

Dill stayed with us after that. He was recovering from a broken leg, sustained when he carried the injured Jem back to base camp. They year we both turned 19, the war was over. There was celebrating and sorrow, and Dill seemed reclusive and forlorn. I didn't bother him for information; I just sat with him, talked with him, reminisced about Jem and hugged him.

We missed Jem. It was hard to cope with life knowing there was no Jem Finch in the world. I think it was Dills idea to go and talk to Boo Radley, so one day, hand-in-hand, we walked up to the Radley place and knocked on the front door. Nathan Radley didn't object because we were, in the eyes of Maycomb, the 'broken war children', and we went to talk to Boo. He, in his quiet, whisper-soft voice, told us what he had thought of Jem. It helped us more than we would've thought originally. Jems spirit never left us, and we all felt he was always with us. After Dill and I wed, our first child was a boy who we named Jeremy Charles Harris, and he was the spitting image of Jem. Atticus said he was exactly like the older Jem had been throughout the toddler years. We missed Jem, but we knew he wouldn't want us to feel sad. He would want us to move on and be happy. He would've seen his death as honourable. He died defending his country, stopping Hitler and on a smaller scale, defending his little sister.

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**R&R**


End file.
